The 4th Squadron, 10th Cavalry Regiment—informally known as “4-10 Cav”—was originally founded as an all-Black unit in 1866, immediately after the Civil War.

Tuesday, July 28, marked the 160th anniversary of the US Congress’ passage of the Army Organization Act, which created the first regular (but segregated) all-Black regiment in the United States Army. The act led to the formation of six units, including the 9th and 10th Cavalry, and the 38th, 39th, 40th, and 41st Infantry regiments, before the latter infantry units were reorganized into the 24th and 25th Infantry regiments.

These units went on to see action in numerous conflicts. However, they were most identified with their early service across the Great Plains and Southwest to protect settlers, to build roads, and manage telegraph lines. In that role, the troops became known as the “Buffalo Soldiers.” 

It is not entirely clear how the Black soldiers earned the name. The conventional explanation is that it came from Indigenous people the soldiers encountered, who respected their fierce bravery in battle. Another story is that the soldiers’ dark, curly hair resembled the fur of the buffalo. Regardless of the origin, the troops considered it high praise. The name stuck with the units as they fought in the Spanish-American War, including at the famed Battle of San Juan Hill, and during the largely forgotten Philippine-American War that followed it. The segregated Army units remained intact throughout World War I, World War II, and even the Korean War, although by then it had been desegregated.

However, this week’s milestone for the unit could be seen as bittersweet, as Wednesday also marked the deactivation of the 4th Squadron, 10th Cavalry Regiment, 3rd Armored Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, which traces its legacy back to the original Buffalo Soldier units.

“While the ceremony honored the squadron’s distinguished legacy, it also marked an important step in the Army’s ongoing transformation efforts. The deactivation of 4-10 Cav reflects the Army’s broader transformation of its force structure to meet the demands of future large-scale combat operations,” the US Army announced in a media statement, following a “sunset” ceremony at Fort Irwin, California.  

4-10 Cav had been reactivated with the 3rd Armored Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division at Fort Carson, Colorado, in 2007, where it provided reconnaissance and security capabilities.

Why Is the Army Retiring the 4-10 Cav Unit?

The US military continues to “sunset” legacy formations as it invests in new technology as part of the ongoing modernization efforts; it is evaluating new capabilities, including the use of unmanned and autonomous systems, electronic warfare tools, advanced sensors, and Next-Generation Command and Control (NGC2) to “enhance battlefield effectiveness.”

What is noteworthy is that the 4-10 Cav had contributed to the evaluation efforts throughout fiscal year 2026 (FY26), and likely could have continued in that role. It had taken part in the testing of the future warfighter capability, including the “Black Hornet” nano unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) that provided warfighters with covert, real-time intelligence and reconnaissance capabilities without exposing them to enemy fire. The unit also took part in testing of the Ivy Sting series and PC-C6.

“Throughout Ivy Sting and PC-C6, Soldiers evaluated and integrated NGC2 designed to enhance commanders’ battlefield decision-making, data sharing and command-and-control capabilities for future large-scale combat operations,” the Army added.

Ivy Sting’s goal was to test and build software and the hardware platforms for the NGC2 network to support communication from small unit levels up the entire division. PC-C6 served as the US Army’s large-scale, multi-domain modern technology and force-on-force experimentation exercise that took place in June.

It is unclear why the 4-10 Cav isn’t simply being further tasked to adapt to the coming changes. Instead, it just marks the end of another chapter of the US Army’s enduring legacy.

“We honor 160 years of service, sacrifice, and excellence that began with the very first Buffalo Soldiers and continued through every Trooper that followed in their footsteps,” said Lt. Col. Shawn Scott, commander of 4th Squadron, 10th Cavalry Regiment.

“Always in the vanguard, the 10th U.S. Cavalry Regiment is a legendary unit that was vital to the pioneering efforts of the United States in the 19th century. Today, the Buffalo Soldiers of 4-10 Cav continued that legacy by helping the 4th Infantry Division pioneer the future of the US Army as they prototype the Next Generation Command and Control that will reshape the future of warfighting forever,” added Scott. “As the squadron colors are cased, we remember the courage, professionalism, and selfless service of all those BLACK JACK Troopers who came before us. While this chapter comes to a close, the values and traditions of the Buffalo Soldiers will continue to live on in every Trooper who served in this extraordinary unit. READY AND FORWARD!”

About the Author: Peter Suciu

Peter Suciu has contributed to dozens of newspapers, magazines and websites over a 30-year career in journalism. He regularly writes about military hardware, firearms history, cybersecurity, politics, and international affairs. Peter is also a contributing writer for Forbes and Clearance Jobs. He is based in Michigan. You can follow him on Twitter: @PeterSuciu. You can email the author: Editor@nationalinterest.org.

The post Army Sunsets Famed ‘Buffalo Soldier’ Unit After 160 Years appeared first on The National Interest.